Ceasefire in Yemen is Not Extended Due to 726 Rebel Violations

The Yemeni army’s forces yesterday announced a large-scale military operation on various fronts in order to liberate areas that are under the control of Houthi militias and those loyal to the ousted president Saleh. The announcement was made after a ceasefire that lasted for 48 hours in Yemen came to an end after the rebels committed 726 violations inside Yemen and on the border with Saudi Arabia, according to the adviser to the Saudi Defence minister’s office and the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen Brigadier General Ahmad Asiri.

In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Brigadier General Ahmad Asiri said that the rebels did not attend the Pacification and Coordination Commission’s meeting in south Dhahran to record violations that were committed during the seventh ceasefire that ended yesterday afternoon. He added that the rebels “did not assist the international community or themselves to reach a settlement. Rather, they will find the answer with the coalition on the ground”. He stressed that the rebels continue to fire on the Saudi border and that the Saudi armed forces are carrying out their duty by responding to the attacks and monitoring the source of them on Yemeni land in order to destroy it.

Asiri added that “the international community and everyone are anxious that there is a commitment to the truce, but there is a party that does not want to commit to it. This is the seventh time that they are proving to the international community that they do not have the desire or commitment to reach a political solution, and our position has not changed”.

Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.